Cuoco, Galecki happy with 'Bang' romance

Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki have praised their characters' romance on The Big Bang Theory.

Penny and Leonard have previously dated but the relationship struggled after Leonard told Penny that he loved her during the last season.

"I thought it was very near to real life," Cuoco told TV Guide. "I like that we didn't wait until the last day of season nine for them to get together. I'm sure they are going to dabble in this relationship much more in the future."

Galecki added: "I'm hard-pressed to believe that'll be the end of it. We see too many glimpses of true caring between them. What we don't see, and what they don't possess, are the tools to know what to do with that caring. Hopefully we'll be given enough time to watch them learn."

Meanwhile, the show's executive producer Bill Prady defended the decision to consummate the relationship between Penny and Leonard so quickly.

"When everybody in the room approves of something, that means you are doing something very safe," he explained. "The disagreement in the audience always excited me."

Prady also revealed that Leonard and Penny will feel awkward around each other in the new season, saying: "They're going to have to deal with what's going on in each other's lives, and that's going to get a little complicated for them."